Voltage Reference Basics Training Series

This training series will highlight what VREFs are, will discuss the values that VREFs bring to different systems, and will review the technical aspects and parameters to consider when designing with VREFs.

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1. What is a VREF?

This video will explain the basic functionality of a VREF and how it can output a constant voltage even with changes to temperature, supply voltage, and load current. A VREF can be thought of as a diode, but can be programmed to provide a wide range of voltage options. This video will also highlight the two common topologies used in VREFs which are called the series and shunt references. The advantages and disadvantages of these two topologies will be discussed.

This video will give an introduction to voltage references, and explain the pros and cons to series and shunt references.

03:54

This video will give an introduction to voltage references, and explain the pros and cons to series and shunt references.

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2. Important Parameters of a Voltage Reference

This video will review the most important parameters in a VREF and will go over how to interpret each of these in a system. In particular this video will cover initial accuracy, temperature coefficient drift (ppm/C), thermal stability, long-term stability, noise, power consumption, and total error calculation.

This video will review the most important parameters in a VREF and will go over how to interpret each of these parameters in a system.

08:53

This video will review the most important parameters in a VREF and will go over how to interpret each of these parameters in a system.

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3. Voltage Reference Use Cases

Commonly used in signal chain conditioning where an ADC, DAC, or MCU requires the need for an external voltage reference, voltage references can also be used in many more applications such as in power delivery, overvoltage detection, current sensing, and current sourcing and sinking.